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I was a long time sufferer from “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.” I’m a 23 year old male and I’m about 160 lbs and 6 ft tall. I’m going to list a bunch of things that I have done to restore health, energy, and ultimately get my life back in no particular order. Not going to get into too much detail, but I think the steps are pretty straight forward. I’m not going to get into my symptoms because I know we are all experiencing the same thing one way or another. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you need to be aware of your body and understand how we respond to any environmental stimuli. This list should be followed as strictly as possible, but don’t beat yourself up if you cannot always follow it 100%
1. Increase sodium intake. I’m talking 5-10 grams per day. To do so, I drink a lot of gatorade and try to minimize other liquids. The feeling of frequent urination and cold hands and feet is awful. Gatorade has allowed me to drink when thirsty and not experience this stress response. Here is the gatorade powder that I used which I add to water:
2. Organize my life and simplify things. This sounds simple, but I think it is something that is overlooked. For example, Steve Jobs would wear the same black turtle neck and jeans each day, because it was one less decision that he would have to make in his hectic life. This mindset is important because it allows us to limit our stressors and focus on higher priority decisions. My room used to be a mess, and I would wake up the following morning scrambling to find my keys and wallet before going to work. By the time I found them, I wasted so much energy that my “tank of gas” for the day had already been depleted.
3. Avoid carageenan, xanthan gums, guar gums, etc. Be very wary of these. They are found in coconut milks, cream cheeses, etc. I realized that everytime I would consume a food with these ingredients, I would experience bloating and it would actually make me angry, and therefore, hinder metabolic recovery.
4. Drink milk that is free of added vitamins. These vitamins are added using an emulsifier which can have the same effect comparable to the carageenan and gums. I only find that whole milk at my local whole foods is free of the vitamins.
5. Use anti-serotonin substances. I firmly believe that I was destined to have a damaged metabolism from the day I was born. I come from a family with a history of mood disorders and anxiety. You can research the work of Ray Peat to learn more about these, but I’ll save you some time and recommend you go get Benadryl and if you can get it prescribed, Pericatin (Cyproheptadine). These first generation anti-histamines are excellent for interrupting the stress cycle that your body has become used to. However, the most amazing supplement for me has been Tianeptine. Truly incredible for relieving stress. I highly recommend it. I don’t think I could have recovered without it to be honest. Here is the link from where I got it:
6. Avoid PUFA’s. I’m sure you have heard this before, but try to focus on ruminant meats (beef, lamb bison) and limit chicken, turkey, pork to about once or twice a week. I always cook my food in refined (odorless) coconut oil or grass-fed butter. When going out to eat, I make sure to get a baked potato as opposed to french fries and opt for grilled meat.
7. Avoid wheat. I’m not a nazi when it comes to avoiding wheat, however, I always try to go for gluten-free options when possible.
8. Take magnesium glycinate. My constipation issues have completely vanished. Here is the link:
9. Drink red bull and mexican coke. I love carbonated beverages and these have caffeine which helps to improve metabolism. Red bull also has some sodium and comes in 8.4 oz cans. But be careful with the liquids.
10. Daily raw carrots. I try to do this whenever I remember. I’ve certainly noticed improvements in my digestion as a result. This is a Ray Peat concept.
11. 5×5 Strong Lifts Program. Incorporating deadlifts and squats have done wonders for my posture. I love working out and it has truly done wonders for my confidence. Whether you are a girl or a guy, you should NOT be doing any cardio and you should be focusing on a program like this. These movements are so beneficial for improving health as they are anabolic, whereas cardio is catabolic and raises stress hormones. Any program that does not incorporate the compound movements are simply a waste of time. Also, I recommend that you do not workout more than 3 times a week. During metabolic improvement, you should make sure not to overdo any exercise or you will hinder recovery. Don’t force yourself to go to the gym if your on a poor night’s sleep or just feeling drained. A program like this goes back to my idea of simplifying life. This program is very straight forward and is the only program you will ever need. There is even a great app to help you track your progress. Here is the link:
http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5×5-beginner-strength-training-program/
12. Refrain from masturbation. Masturbation tricks the brain and desensitizes dopamine receptors. As a result, you experience less joy in activities that normally are rewarding. If you are going to do so, I would limit to no more than once a week, doing so only on Sundays, for example. Ray Peat talks about how metabolism is hindered when serotonin dominates dopamine.
13. Make sure you always get at least 8-9 hours of sleep each night.
14. Get enough protein. Aim for about 1 gram per pound of body weight. Your macro nutrient ratio for carbs protein and fats should be about 50%, 25%, 25% respectively.
15. Eat gummy bears and jello. These contain gelatin which are important for balancing the intake of amino acids when eating meat.
16. Always breathe through your nose and keep your mouth closed.
17. Make the Ray Peat approach to diet the framework of your dietary approach, but always be mindful of how many liquids you are taking in. Here is a link that summarizes his ideas:
http://raypeat.wikispaces.com/Eating+Guidelines
18. avoiding broccoli and other vegetables that grow above ground, they are too hard to digest. also avoid beans and nuts.
19. stop constantly researching health. I know its difficult, and I am so grateful for the internet’s health contributions, but I think if you focus on the steps that I mentioned, you won’t need to do anymore research. When you stress about health, you are only inhibiting what you are trying to improve, so try and spend time doing things that you truly enjoy so you can take your mind off of your poor state of health.
20. don’t worry about weight gain/ weight loss etc. Eat intuitively and focus on how you feel. Don’t stress over the fact that you might not be able to get food free of PUFA’s when eating out, for example. Eat what you want, and eat what gets you warm. Let your time in the gym shape your body the way you want it to look.
21. if your going to drink alcohol, always drink on a full stomach and try and stick to vodka. All alcohol is bad, but vodka is the least estrogenic where as beer and whiskey are estrogenic. I like to mix vodka and gatorade so I can try and stay hydrated.
22. dairy should be your main source of protein. Also, I start everyday with 2-3 eggs and some simple carbs like gatorade, fruit or even a red bull.
I hope this gives everyone a pretty good blueprint as to how they can get their health back, without being too strict. These concepts are what has gotten me back to feeling like a kid again.
Great summary!
A couple of questions, related to the following points:
1. I’m assuming you add a lot of salt to that Gatorade? It doesn’t seem to have much sodium by itself. I find that I can tolerate plenty of salt if it’s mixed into juice or sweetened milk.
12. do you think this also applies to sex in general?nope did not add any salt to the gatorade. that is why gatorade works so well, it has right amount as is.
not necessarily…i think sex is certainly more appropriate, however, anything in excess can overwhelm the body. however sex is more consistent with our physiological make up. masturbation tricks the body into thinking it is having sex. sex requires effort and work, the same way we used to hunt for our meals and now we can have them delivered to our door.
this is full of too many rules, the only one that seems cool is to try to avoid pufas (but not be religious about it).
nowhere did i say these were rules. yes, some concepts may be more important than others, but i was just providing a list of things that i try to focus on. rules are what can get people into a poor health state to begin with.
I’m glad you’ve figured out what works best for you Tucker. I do agree that, for me, all of these things may be unnecessary, so I’m trying to figure out my own personal guidelines. So far, there don’t really seem to be any. I guess my main ones are to:
1.) Listen to my body, and not let my mind tell my body what to do (when it comes to eating, that is).
2.) Use common sense.That about sums it up, I believe.
Would you say that salt was a big component of your recovery?
Salt tablets help me with frequent urination, but my hands still chill up a bit, is it better to take salt in an even distribution like the Gatorade blend?
I only average around 2g of salt every day, 5-10g sounds like a ton of salt!
no i would say the anti-serotonin drugs are the big component in my recovery, but then again one of the drugs was called tianeptine sodium haha…the drugs helped me break the stress cycle….salt tablets helped, but you can eat salty foods and drink gatorade and that will get the job done….ray peat talks alot about lithium which is closely related to sodium, so i think the sodium tablets are a great idea, but are just a piece in the puzzle
I see, well I ordered some tianeptine the other day, I’m excited to try it out but I heard the taste is horrible, and I had some Coke this morning which gave me quite the energy boost!
Salt tablet supplementation has helped a bit, although I increased too fast, about 2.4g of salt tablets on top of my dietary salt gave me a weird sore on the tip of my tongue.
But I am liking your list so far, with a bit of calibration, you might very well be my savior!lol
Could you expand on your experience with tianeptine? I’ve read of it being used for anxiety with long term results, have you experienced anything similar?
you have to experiment to find the right amount. there’s a fine line and if you stay under it you can have a great, relaxed sensation throughout your body, but if you cross if you may feel nauseous…in terms of long term results, i’ve only taken it for a couple weeks, but i do notice some increased resilience to stress…the key is breaking the stress cycle of cold hands and cold feet, and tianeptine seems to do exactly that
Glad it worked for you but I could never go full on Peatarian. It was just too much liquid for me. Even if drink only Gatorade I still freeze if I drink too much. Plus it makes me thirstier. Once I start sipping it I instantly want to chug a pitcher of it. I still drink it to replenish electrolytes and whatnot but I can’t drink it to satisfaction. I’m finding Matt’s stuff is helping me more that Ray Peat’s but I still like the guy and his work.
Also with regards the Tianeptine, I’d love to try it but call me paranoid, but I’m just a bit skeptical of ordering white powder on the internet. It says Tianeptine on the package and they post up a picture of analysis results but I think you have to be pretty naive to take that seriously. Unless you have the equipment to verify for yourself you don’t really have a way of knowing if you got Tianeptine or baking soda … or cocaine. Where did they get this stuff I wonder? And why is it in powder form and not pills?
I think I’ll buy an ionizer first. Worst that can happen is it doesn’t work.
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